Sharps are defined as

• A. Containers that hold sharps
• B. Objects capable of puncturing, lacerating, or penetrating skin
• C. Items used to draw blood
• D. Medical devices

Answer: (B)

Sharps are defined as objects capable of puncturing, lacerating, or penetrating skin. This focus on the potential to injure or introduce infection is why these items require special handling and disposal in approved sharps containers. Examples include needles, syringe needles, scalpel blades, lancets, and broken glass—anything that could pierce skin fits this definition. The other choices don’t fit because a sharps container is a receptacle, not a sharp itself; items used to draw blood describe a use rather than the risk the item poses; and medical devices cover many non-sharp tools, so they don’t define sharps.